Thermal cover for baby bottle

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a thermally insulating cover for bottles, especially for baby bottles, comprising a thermal insulation  1  and an outer cover  3 . It is characterised by the fact that the cover keeps the temperature of the bottle contents constant during baby feeding over the period of time needed for feeding (approx. 30 minutes), can store and release odours via its soft and tactile material surface and thus provides tactile and odour perceptions to the baby that emulate natural breast feeding.

TECHNICAL AREA

The invention concerns a thermally insulating cover for bottles, especially baby bottles.

PRIOR ART

Babies that are not breast-fed or not exclusively are usually given feed from small glass or plastic bottles, from which the feed may be sucked. The feed is a liquid, such as formula milk, a thick drink, pumped mother's milk or beverages such as tea, water and juice. Before the baby can be fed, the feed is normally heated up in the bottle to the optimal drinking temperature of 36 to 37° C. The baby bottle may be made of glass or plastic, and the bottle nipple attached to the opening of the bottles of silicone or rubber latex.

A special thermometer is known for measuring the temperature of the baby feed (see CH000000504865A) and, for keeping the feed warm with the help of thermal insulation made from foamed plastic for a drinking bottle (“baby bottle”) for infants, as described in DE000020207148U1. Drinking from a plastic or a glass bottle is different in several major respects, however, from drinking naturally from the mother's breast.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

Proceeding therefrom, the object of the invention is to provide a baby bottle for a feed, which to a large extent matches the natural feeding from the mother's breast.

TECHNICAL SOLUTION

This object is achieved by providing a cover for bottles, especially baby bottles, in accordance with claim 1. Advantageous characteristics result from the dependent claims.

Accordingly, a thermally insulating cover for bottles, especially for baby bottles, is provided, comprising a thermal insulation and an outer cover enclosing the thermal insulation, with the cover having a receptacle for the bottle and an opening for inserting or removing the bottle from the cover. The thermal insulation and/or the outer cover are essentially made from a soft, flexible material.

It has been recognized that drinking from a plastic or glass bottle differs in several major respects from natural drinking at the mother's breast.

On the one hand, the temperature of the feed may change, since the baby needs between 5 and 30 minutes to suck the feed from the bottle, the length of time depending upon the quantity of feed and how active the baby is. Moreover, babies and infants can pause for up to 30 minutes when drinking from a bottle. During this period, the feed in the bottle may cool (e.g. in cold seasons) or become too warm (e.g. if the bottle were inadvertently placed in direct sunlight). At the end of the baby's feeding time, the temperature of the feed deviates from the optimal temperature (36 to 37° C.) to an extent that depends on the outside temperature. That can impair the baby's digestion.

On the other hand, a baby drinking from the mother's breast receives tactile stimuli when it presses, pinches etc the breast with its little hand. Developmental psychologists have established that these tactile experiences provide important stimuli for human mental development. The hard bottle surface, which does not change under pressure, cannot provide such stimuli, or comparable ones, for the baby. Thus, bottle-fed babies lack an important factor that would otherwise stimulate their development.

The odour perception is also different. While a baby drinking from the mother's breast inhales the typical body odour of its mother that conveys a sense of reassurance/relaxation and security, the smooth bottle surface is poor at storing odours. Therefore, this relaxing effect cannot unfold. If the baby is fed by another person in the absence of the mother, feeding may become a problem.

In accordance with the invention, the cover keeps the temperature of the bottle contents constant during baby feeding over the period of time needed for feeding (approx. 30 minutes, up to 60 minutes), can store and release odours via its soft and tactile material surface and thus provides tactile and odour perceptions to the baby that emulate natural breast feeding.

The temperature of the baby feed given with a bottle is kept constant during feeding. Additionally, the tactile stimuli and the odour perceptions for the baby reach an optimum, that is to say are adjusted to the natural feeding process. It should also be possible to keep a warm beverage in the bottle at a suitable drinking temperature over a protracted period. Furthermore, the invention helps the baby to practise grasping and holding articles while safely protecting the baby from broken glass coming from inadvertently dropped glass bottles.

These goals are achieved by thermal insulation, and a soft and tactile surface that can store odours.

The advantages derived from the invention consist especially in the following:

-   -   The act of feeding by the baby is adjusted to the optimum of         natural breast-feeding as regards tactile and odour experiences.         Thus, there is a beneficial effect on the baby's development,         which is shaped considerably in the first weeks of life.     -   The feed administered stays at its constant temperature for         longer, and thereby has the optimal temperature for digestion.     -   Even when feeding is interrupted for a short time, something         which frequently occurs with breast-fed babies, the temperature         of the feed can optimally be kept constant.     -   The bottle does not have to be placed in a thermally insulating         device when feeding is interrupted, since it is already in the         thermal cover when feeding commences. Thus, fluctuations in         temperature are additionally avoided.     -   Feeding especially by third persons (i.e. not the biological         mother) becomes more stress-free for the baby, since it can         smell its mother's odour in the thermal cover if the mother has         worn the outer cover against her body beforehand.     -   In addition, the thermal cover fulfils a safety function: If the         feed is drunk from a glass bottle, the bottle is prevented by         the cover from breaking if it is dropped.     -   The removable, washable outer cover means that the thermal cover         meets the highest hygienic standards.

Especially, the outside of the cover has a contour in the shape of two cones and/or truncated cones which are connected by their bases. The thermal cover and the outer cover may be shaped, for example, as one cone on top of the other, which makes the tactile stimuli for the baby more varied.

Preferably, the cover may have an essentially round or oval outer contour.

The cover may also have an outer contour in the form of a cone and/or a truncated cone. The various shapes and designs create a variety of tactile stimuli for the baby. The cover may also be formed, however, as a square, diamond, cylinder, rectangle, egg-timer, etc.

The outer cover is especially designed as a fabric cover with at least one opening. The outer cover may be coloured, for example, as follows: with black geometrical patterns against a red background. Generally, different colours and patterns may be used, especially warm colours for baby eyes, patterns such as animals, figures, photos, etc. The coloured design has the effect of additionally stimulating the visual development of the baby in accordance with the insights of developmental psychology. Additionally, devices may be provided in the cover for creating audio experiences, e.g. through the incorporation of one or more bells or a music chip (e.g. for music, children's songs, the mother's voice etc). The cover may be personalized with sayings, photos so that it may be used as a gift or for advertising.

The thermal insulation may comprise natural sponge, synthetic sponge, silicone, polyester, rubber latex, cotton and/or foam material.

The thermal insulation and the outer cover are preferably designed as separate components that may be connected and disconnected from each other.

The cover may have a holding device to allow it to be held by an infant, for example in the form of fabric handles, handles in the shape of loops or ears and/or holes or recesses of different size.

The outer cover especially has a closure for at least partial closing of the opening, for making the opening smaller and/or for reducing the circumference of the opening. The opening may at the same time be the opening through which the baby gains access to a part of the bottle, especially to the bottle nipple. The bottle may be inserted into (or removed from) the cover via the opening and the opening then afterwards reduced such that the baby can use the bottle nipple, without the bottle's slipping out of the cover. Alternatively, the cover may have a sealable opening for inserting and removing the bottle into or from the cover and a second, separate opening with a certain fixed size for access to the bottle nipple during feeding.

The outer cover may also have a closure, which is so formed and arranged that the jacket surface of the outer cover may be at least partly opened and closed. Thus, the closure may be formed as a loop-and-hook closure and may open and close the entire outer cover, so as to make it easy for the outer cover to be pushed over the thermal insulation.

Naturally, the cover may be made in different sizes for different bottle sizes. It may be fitted with an attachment for a child's buggy, with a milk-temperature indicator, and/or with a small bag for storing the bottle nipple.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further objects and advantages of the invention result from the following description of specific embodiments using the figures. These show in

FIG. 1 a, 1 b a view of a cover in accordance with the present invention, and

FIGS. 2 to 13 views of further embodiments of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIAL EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 a shows a first embodiment of the invention. The cover here has an essentially cylindrical outer contour.

The thermally insulating cover shown comprises a thermal insulation 1 made from a soft, insulating material, e.g. natural sponge, silicone, polyester (thickness: 1-3 centimetres), foam material and the like. The insulating material is surrounded by an upper material 3 in the form of a covering made from fabric, e.g. cotton, silk, synthetic materials, elasthane, from plants such as coconut, corn etc, polyester, or a combination of the materials mentioned (thickness: 0.5-2 centimetres).

The cover 1 has a cavity for accommodating a bottle 5. At one end of the cylinder is an opening 2 for inserting and removing the bottle 5.

Reference symbol 4 denotes a closure, which can constrict or partly close the opening 2 to prevent the bottle 5 from slipping out of the thermal cover 1. In the present embodiment, the closure 4 is formed by a cord, which is arranged along the edge of the opening 2 and which constricts the opening such that either the bottle 5 is prevented by increased friction from slipping out of the receptacle or the opening 2 is made smaller by tightening, such that the shoulder area 5 a of the bottle 5 is too large for the opening 2.

Before use, a bottle 5, which is located outside the cover, is first filled with feed. The filled feed can be heated up or kept warm.

Before the bottle 5 is inserted into the cover, the outer cover 3 is pushed over the thermal insulation 1, in so far as the two components of the cover are not connected. If the feed is not given by the mother, it is recommended that she wears the outer cover 3 for approx. one day (24 hours) on her person in order that her own body odour may be stored in the outer cover 3.

For use, the cover, consisting of the insulation 1 and the outer cover 3, is pushed over the ready-to-drink bottle 5, with the bottle nipple just projecting out of the opening 2, and is secured with the closure 4. The contents of the bottle now remain more or less at a constant temperature for a suitable period (approx. 30 minutes).

The baby can hold the arrangement of cover and bottle, with the bottle secure in the receptacle, in any conceivable position, especially in the horizontal drinking position shown in FIG. 1 b. Because of the relatively large outer dimensions of the cover, third-party assistance is not absolutely necessary for this. Moreover, the bottle is secure and the soft and flexible insulating fabric arranged inside the outer cover 3 protects it against breakage.

When feeding is completed, the bottle 5 can be easily removed from the thermal cover for cleaning and re-use.

Particularly preferred materials both for the insulation material 1 and for the outer cover 3 are natural materials that do not contain substances harmful to health and do not trigger any allergies in the baby.

FIGS. 2 to 6 show further variants of the outside shape of the cover, for example a truncated-cone embodiment (FIG. 3), a shape which corresponds to the external geometry of two truncated cones connected by their bases (FIG. 4), a rectangular (FIG. 5) or square shape, or a cylinder that narrows in the centre (FIG. 6).

Of importance is only that the shape be suitable for the baby itself to hold the cover along with the bottle without risk of injury.

Each shape may also have handles 6, especially made from a flexible material, e.g. the outer cover material (FIG. 7), or ears 7 (FIG. 8) that enable the baby to hold the cover during and between feeds.

Instead of the cord, other closures 4 may also be provided, for example (perhaps hidden) a zipper 4 a (FIG. 9), a pushbutton 4 b (FIG. 10), an elastic band 4 c arranged around the opening 2 (FIG. 11), a button 4 d (FIG. 12) or a loop-and-hook closure 4 e for reducing the circumference of the opening 2 (FIG. 13).

The zipper in FIG. 9 shows an embodiment, in which the opening 2 has a smaller width than the shoulder part 5 a of the bottle 5. Thus, the bottle 5 cannot slip through the opening when the zipper 4 a is closed. The zipper 4 a closes the jacket surface 3 a of the outer cover 3 essentially along its full length. During opening, the insulation 1 can simply be inserted into the outer cover 3. Instead of the zipper 4 a, the other aforementioned closures, e.g., loop-and-hook, a row of buttons etc may be provided for closing the jacket surface 3 a.

It would also be conceivable, in addition to opening 2 for the bottle 5, to provide the cover with an opening and a corresponding closure 4 into which the insulation 1 and the bottle 5 can be inserted.

Protection is sought for all of the features in various combinations. 

1. Thermally insulating cover for bottles, especially for baby bottles, comprising a thermal insulation and an outer cover surrounding the thermal insulation, with the cover having a receptacle for accommodating the bottle and an opening for inserting and/or removing the bottle from the cover, characterised by the fact that the thermal insulation and/or the outer cover are essentially made from a soft, flexible material.
 2. Thermally insulating cover in accordance with claim 1, characterised by the fact that the outer cover is formed as a fabric cover with at least one opening.
 3. Thermally insulating cover in accordance with claim 1, characterised by the fact that the thermal insulation comprises natural sponge, synthetic sponge, silicone, polyester, rubber latex, cotton and/or foam material.
 4. Thermally insulating cover in accordance with claim 2, characterised by the fact that the thermal insulation comprises natural sponge, synthetic sponge, silicone, polyester, rubber latex, cotton and/or foam material.
 5. Thermally insulating cover in accordance with claim 1, characterised by the fact that the outer cover has a closure for at least partial closing of the opening, for making the opening smaller and/or for reducing the circumference of the opening.
 6. Thermally insulating cover in accordance with claim 1, characterised by the fact that the outer cover has a closure, which is so formed and arranged that the jacket surface of the outer cover may be at least partly opened and closed.
 7. Thermally insulating cover in accordance with claim 1, characterised by the fact that the thermal insulation and the outer cover are designed as separate components that may be connected and disconnected from each other.
 8. Thermally insulating cover in accordance with claim 1, characterised by the fact that the cover has an outer contour in the shape of two cones and/or truncated cones connected at their surface areas.
 9. Thermally insulating cover in accordance with claim 1, characterised by the fact that the cover has an essentially round or oval outer contour.
 10. Thermally insulating cover in accordance with claim 1, characterised by the fact that the cover has an outer contour in the shape of a cone and/or a truncated cone.
 11. Thermally insulating cover in accordance with claim 1, characterised by the fact that the cover has a retaining device so that an infant may hold the cover.
 12. Thermally insulating cover in accordance with claim 2, characterised by the fact that the outer cover has a closure for at least partial closing of the opening, for making the opening smaller and/or for reducing the circumference of the opening.
 13. Thermally insulating cover in accordance with claim 2, characterised by the fact that the outer cover has a closure, which is so formed and arranged that the jacket surface of the outer cover may be at least partly opened and closed.
 14. Thermally insulating cover in accordance with claim 2, characterised by the fact that the thermal insulation and the outer cover are designed as separate components that may be connected and disconnected from each other.
 15. Thermally insulating cover in accordance with claim 2, characterised by the fact that the cover has an outer contour in the shape of two cones and/or truncated cones connected at their surface areas.
 16. Thermally insulating cover in accordance with claim 2, characterised by the fact that the cover has an essentially round or oval outer contour.
 17. Thermally insulating cover in accordance with claim 2, characterised by the fact that the cover has an outer contour in the shape of a cone and/or a truncated cone.
 18. Thermally insulating cover in accordance with claim 2, characterised by the fact that the cover has a retaining device so that an infant may hold the cover. 